Knicks links: A new low for Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler & Co.?

Well, for the Knicks, injuries are more than one thing. Carmelo Anthony left Wednesday’s 117-94 loss to the Nuggets because of right knee soreness and Tyson Chandler suffered a left knee contusion. Anthony went back to New York to have his knee drained while Chandler remains probable to play against the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight, according to coach Mike Woodson.

But injuries are just one thing, and they cannot possibly explain why the Knicks are crumbling at such a critical juncture of the season. There’s still a chance that Anthony can recover from his knee injury, and if the Knicks can make some waves in the playoffs, Amar’e Stoudemire could return from his second knee surgery of the season.

That’s not this team’s attitude, though. As J.R. Smith explained on Wednesday night, the Knicks’ issues are much bigger than a few sore knees (by the way, Smith played with a sore left knee against the Nuggets).

“We got to check our heart right now,” Smith said, as quoted by The New York Times’ Howard Beck. “Are we going to come out and compete? Or are we just going to pack it in and go home? It’s just that simple. I think we got to figure it out tomorrow, figure out who’s going to be here and who’s not.”

On Wednesday, the Knicks almost looked as though they decided not to compete. The first quarter wasn’t awful, but by the second frame it seemed like everyone threw up their hands and just said “never mind.”

Sinking? Well, what’s abundantly clear is the Knicks, who have lived off that 18-5 start for three months now, have used up every ounce of cushion and every inch of good will it engendered. They have now officially been passed by the Pacers for the two seed in the East, probably for good, and the Nets surely have to believe they could erase the three-game loss column deficit at the top of the Atlantic by the start of next week.

The good news? The Knicks’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is only five. That, at the very least, should be attainable. Even for the S.S. Minnow.

Yes, things can actually get worse for the Knicks on this trip. As Vaccaro pointed out the Knicks are running out of cushion in the Eastern Conference Playoff push, and while they’re in no real danger of missing the postseason, they could wake up in April to find they’ve landed in the fourth or (gasp) fifth seed.

The Knicks seemed destined to win their first playoff series of the Carmelo Anthony-era this season, but as time passes, the infamous deal with the Nuggets seems less beneficial to the franchise.

And when one sees how Denver is playing, the lesson becomes obvious: The Knicks got a great player in that trade, but the Nuggets got a whole team.

“I don’t know the criteria for winning,’’ Nuggets coach George Karl said, as quoted by Marc Berman of the New York Post.“The criteria for most of my career is the team that gets the best player wins. New York got an All-Star player. We also got the ability to redo our team. ... [I] think we regrouped in a confident way and we’re excited about what’s going to happen.”

Knicks fans aren’t nearly as excited.

In other Knicks news:

• NJ.com’s Tony Williams gave some context to last night’s loss: “The Knicks have now been blasted in consecutive games -- not a great start to a crucial road trip with the Brooklyn Nets (38-27) and Boston Celtics (35-29) breathing down their necks for the Atlantic Division lead. Further showing their current ineptness, the last time the Knicks trailed by 29 or more points in back-to-back games was Jan. 2006. That team was led by Larry Brown and finished 23-59, and featured such Knicks' stalwarts like Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Malik Rose, Maurice Taylor, and an aged Jalen Rose.”

• Raymond Felton will face another one of his former teams, the Trail Blazers, tonight in Portland, but as Newsday’s Al Iannazzone wrote, he’s not exactly thrilled to be back: “Felton said some people in Portland should watch their backs.’Certain people there I don't want to see and better not come near me at all,’ Felton said.”

• Felton, as quoted by Berman: “‘I’m going to laugh the whole time, really,’ Felton said of his Portland return. ‘I’m happy now. I’m back where I want to be. I couldn’t care less what they say. It’s behind me. I never one time made one excuse. I came in, was out of shape, said that from the beginning, said it the whole time. Anything else they want to say, it’s not true.’”

• Patrick Ewing will be a part of MSG’s Knicks post-game coverage on Wednesday, March 20th (vs. Magic) and Sunday, March 31 (vs. Celtics).